A Funder’s Perspective: A Talk with Gordana Jankovic of the Open Society Institute
13.04.09
Bettina Peters: What is the current level of support provided by the OSI Media Program?
Gordana Jankovic: The Media Program has a budget of 10 million USD per year. OSI also supports media development in some of its other programs – the special initiatives journalism program, topical programs (like public health), and regional programs. Overall, I would say OSI spends about 50 million USD per year on media development. There are also national OSI foundations; some of them have media programs, as well.
Q: What countries do you work in? What are your current and future priorities? A: Our mandate is global, and the main criteria are set by our mission: Opening societies that are closed, and helping societies in transformation. At the moment, we are in 60 countries around the world. So, besides countries in transition we tend to work in those with closed media systems. We rely a lot on ideas from our national foundations. One priority is freedom of expression, where we fund monitoring of violations against press freedom.
Q: What types of media development are OSI priorities – such as training, media law, support to media NGOs, and media development linked to general development goals? A: Again, our spectrum is broad. We look at media as a sector in its own right – i.e., how producers of news and quality content interact with society – and do not focus on the role of media as a communication channel for development messages. We fund initiatives that support networking among media assistance or press freedom groups. We fund legal protection for journalists; the Media Legal Defense Initiative was started by OSI. We support programs on media and minorities, investigative journalism, and the development of media outlets.
Q: How do you assess applications? A: We look for good ideas that make a real difference. We ask: • Does the project have clear goals? • Are these goals important for improving the media sector the project addresses? • Will the project overall help to open up societies? But we also look at the organization making the application. It is not enough to have a great idea if a group cannot actually implement the work. So, we ask: • Does the organization have an appropriate governance structure? • Is it transparent about its work? (Obviously, we know that organizations working in closed societies often cannot be open about all that they do.) • Does it have clear, transparent, financial structures? • Is it rooted in the society in which it wants to work?
Q: What are the biggest mistakes you see on grant applications? A: The biggest mistake you can make is to present a project in isolation, solely focusing on the activities you want to carry out. We want projects to be presented within context: • What assumptions are being made about the society and/or its media sector? • How does the organization think about creating change? • Why is the change needed, and how is it to be achieved?
Q: Digital media, new media…how has that changed your priorities? A: It has and it hasn’t. Within the OSI information program, there is a lot of focus on new media. But we look at digital media, new media, as a tool, a different form of dissemination. What matters most is the content and the quality of the information. So, we ask whether new media can increase quality – and if so, what support may be needed – or whether it can ensure a better or wider spread of information. OSI gave support to its partner, the Media Development Loan Fund, to help with some experimental business models for new media. We are supporting research on digitalization and its impact on civil society, if and how it supports values of open societies.
Q: What has been your most successful program? A: I don’t want to single out one. I can mention that we are proud of our work with other donors. We spend quite a bit of time and effort in persuading other donors to provide support to media. Fifteen years ago we suggested that media independence could be preserved through support to nonprofit media; this approach has taken root even in developed societies such as the United States. We also help make the case that even though private media are a business, in developing and transforming societies they should receive donor support because their information is often of public value. The role of the media in creating and supporting open societies is too important to be neglected by supporters of democratic development.
Q: You have worked in media development for many years. What are the main changes you’ve seen from the 1990s to today? A: Organizations are more ready to work together around common values. The work is less ad-hoc, more professional. You can see that, for instance, if you look at the increase in academic study focusing on media development.
Q: Has media development support shifted away from investing in media as a way to build democratic societies in favor of media that address issues related to the United Nations Millennium Declaration (adopted by 189 nations in 2000, with specific targets such as eradicating hunger, improving health care, and ensuring environmental sustainability)? A: Yes, for many donors. My view has always been that it is not enough to use the media as a channel for communicating messages. Transforming societies needs long-term engagement; a healthy media structure – that provides relevant information, serves a watchdog function, and supports open debate – is crucial to creating change.
Q: What is the current discussion within OSI and with donors you work with on future support? A: We are all asking ourselves how the financial crisis will affect the voluntary sector. Many foundations have lost money, and governments may be under pressure to focus more on spending their funds at home. There’s also the question of how to better use our resources knowing that most funds are tied to specific policy agendas. So, we want to see how agenda-tied funding can also be used to achieve overall goals – such as building a healthy media structure.
Q: Do you think that media development can make a difference in democracy building, good governance, fighting poverty, and other social goals? A: Yes, absolutely. Media are a key – but unrecognized – mechanism of adult (continuing) education in terms of providing information on which people base choices in their lives. Media provide the platform and information needed to have a debate about change of values in societies. We learn more and more about the key role media play, but I think this argument is still not presented clearly and forcefully enough. Informed citizens examine their values and stay open for diversity of information; they make choices, or ask for more choices, if they feel their view is not taken into account. Societies need the media to have this debate. So, media works across the board: Whether it is democracy or good governance or fighting poverty, media has a critical role to play.
Please send any questions for Gordana Jankovic, or suggestions on funders for future Q&As to assistant (at) gfmd (dot) org.